Please help.. thoughts on 550 or 560?

fishbisquit

fishbisquit

Novice
Aloha!

My wife and I are currently considering a CampInn 550 and a CampInn 560. We are totally excited about the possibility of becoming new owners of one of these awesome little trailers. I know there has been at least one other thread about this topic but I hope people don’t mind if I start a new one with a few of my own notes and questions. We both fell for the original teardrop shape of the 550. It’s a classic cool look and we love it. However we hope to have many years camping with a future dog. Our last dog was about 45 lbs and we see ourselves with another dog about that size. This has us seriously considering the 560. My wife and I alone would be fine with a 550 but feel having the extra space of the sofa area may be really nice with a medium sized dog. Here is our current list of pros of the two models. We would love to hear other people’s thoughts......

550

-Love the profile! very cool looking.
-Lighter, more aerodynamic, better MPG(?)
-A little less expensive
-Same galley as 560
-A little shorter, smaller easier storage


560

-More space
-More storage
-Better re-sale (?) Seems like these are a little more in demand
-Could loan (rent) to friends or family with kids (bunkbeds)

Again we would Love to hear other people’s thoughts. We are total newbies and have no experience.

Cheers,
Emily and Dave
 
Welcome to the forum. You can't make a bad choice. That being said, I'll be the first to offer input. Peggy and I have a 550 Ultra and love it. We had a dog about the same size whose domain was the side tent. It worked out nicely - he had a cushion to lay on, free of bugs, and was happy as a calm knowing a pet was just arms distance away.
Good luck with your decision-making.
 
Your not that far from Wisconsin - you should make a trip to the factory so you can experience the 550 & 560. The 560 does offer a lot more room - but there are trade-offs with each model. I really like having that extra 2' where you can sit up and read with good light.

As far as resale - seems like more people are moving toward models with more options of late - especially having the air conditioner. But that could be location driven also. We are happy with just the room fan.
 
Yes, we are visiting the showroom this Friday. We are very excited to have Cary walk us through all the options and differences. Last week we had the opportunity to look at a 560 that was owned by a member of the tearjerker forum. We walked away thinking "Yep, we want that extra space of a 560". Then yesterday we got a chance to look at another members 550 and we saw how cool and aerodynamic it looked behind their tow vehicle. Now we are leaning towards a 550 and just having a side tent. We keep going back and forth. It's hard trying to figure out how you'll be using it snd how much space you need, without actually using it. That's why we are trying to talk to as many owners as we can!
 
Hello there.

Decisions, decisions - I suppose tossing a coin is out. We chose the 550 because of the profile. We really wanted that classic teardrop shape. It has all the space we need and though we don't have a 45 pound dog, our granddaughter (the side-ways sleeper) fit just fine until she reached 10 years, then other accommodations were made. We adapted and so can you when you need too. And there is always the option of the connecting side tent.

The trick is getting the model you truly want. The extra space of the 560 is great and to me the front looks like a turret - you can have a traveling castle. Fun, but not if you moon for the classic profile.

Maybe you should start digging around in your pocket for that coin...

Camp on,

Sue
 
One note on this. The 560 series is more aerodynamic than the 550 series. I know that sounds counter-intuitive but it is because of several factors.

Cary
 
Emily & Dave,

We love camping with our 55 pound Viszla so chose the 560. She sleeps on the couch at night and begs to go in when she gets tired. For us, the 550 would have been too small with the dog. They even offer a great pet cover to protect the couch. For what it's worth, I think the profile of the 560 looks better in person than in pictures.

Good luck on your choice, you can't go wrong.

Randy & Michelle
 
Rika.jpg
 
I struggled with the decision over the 550 and 560 before ordering, but selected the 560. I don't pick mine up until 5 August, so you may end up seeing mine on the production line during your visit.

I reason for going with the 560 was the ability to seat up comfortably and type up research on the computer or watch TV. I too have a dog (about 70 pounds). She is old and I will have to pick her up to get in and out, but I'm thinking the extra room will be beneficial to both.

My wife is a 5 Star woman, so it will be rare that she will go anywhere in the trailer. I'm a 2 Star guy with 5 Star taste (hence the Camp-Inn Trailer).

I told the wife the other day that my trailer will be named "Chalet Moa" (dog's name is Moa), and she immediately responded "you mean a.k.a. The Dog House?"

Anyway back to your dilemma. The 560 definitely has more room inside, but less storage behind the propane tank. One option I selected is handicap accessible, because the bars in the ceiling will help transition from the bed to the couch and visa-versa.

I doubt that anyone can tell the difference when pulling either a 550 or 560, even though the weight of the 560 is slightly more. Both a small enough to easily fit into any standard garage with plenty of room to spare.

I ordered both the air conditioner and heater. I am in the process of moving to Arizona (from Kansas) and will do year round camp outings. Nights can get cold in winter even in Arizona, which is the reason I opted for the heater. I think you can appreciate my reason for the AC.
 
For sure Emily and Dave we will have to show you Old Prospector's trailer on Friday.

The front storage box on a 560 is approximately the same volume of storage space as the 550. It is narrower but deeper. What Old Prospector is referring to when he mentioned the "less storage behind the propane tank" is one a 560 with the lp furnace option. That option takes a huge bite out of the lower outside storage part of the front storage feature on a 560 series. Where with a 550 model the furnace takes up about half of the lower outside storage.

Cary
 
I've told this before on the forum but will do it again here. In July 2013 I ordered a 550 Ultra after looking at one here in Wa. I too loved the classic look. At NW Camp Out in August one of the 560 owners allowed me to sit in her 560. I loved it but decided for once in my life not to be wishy washy and stick to my original decision. The only difference between the 560 and 550 is the sofa. Galley is the same, storage is the same. The only reason I could see for staying with the 550 was the classic look. I really loved it.
I try hard not to carry anything in the cabin but it is sometimes necessary. The sofa adds a place to put stuff so if you want to stop at a rest area for a nap your bed isn't full of stuff. I love the extra room for a stormy day. It is comfortable to go inside and play cards or read.
I didn't care for the mattress so replaced it with an air mattress and foam pad. This makes the foot well a little crowded and I can move my pillows up to the sofa and have more foot room. I'm still not completely settled on what I will end up with as a mattress but this works for now.
I have the furnace so lost most of the storage in the front outside storage. In the front storage I am still able to store the tiny wheel chocks that came with the trailer, a ratchet and extension to replace the jack handle. grease for the trailer ball, gloves and grease rag, Lock for trailer tongue, and a couple of other tiny things. I also have a very small all directional level that sits in the bottom so that when I remove the other stuff it is visible to help level the tongue.
I also got the handicap bars because of my mom, whom I haven't been able to convince to go on a trip with me yet. The bars are very handy and I use them to move to the sofa. I'm really glad I got them. They are also beautiful.
The only reason I could see for staying with the 550 was the classic look. I still love it but am really happy that I finally changed my order to the 560. I struggled with this decision from August till October. When I talked to Cary about changing my order he told me he had never heard a 560 owner say that they wish they had gotten a 550.
 
We got the 560 for the extra room for my 6' 3" husband, which gives him a bit more room, which he appreciates. When we bought the 560, we had 2 dogs, a 35 lb and a 50 lb. Both dogs slept in the side tent, years later we have a single 40b dog and she stays in the side tent also. With a very small electric heater we have camped with my side door open to the side tent at 35 degrees F. very comfortably (until it was time to get up). However, I know that in the case of a very bad storm, she can come in and sleep at our feet.
 
I know that you had a chance to visit with Sherry and see her 550 and that she invited you to stop by our gathering this weekend. If you are able, please do! There will be several 550s there and a couple of 560s as well as home builts and a couple of other manufacture's teardrops. It would be a great opportunity to pick our brains and see how people have theirs set up in camp.

:cool:
 
Thanks everyone for the replies! All great info. We are totally going back and forth with which design is a better fit for us.

Betsy we are hoping to stop over at the gathering after we visit the showroom. We will have to drive back to MPLS that night so time will be tight but it sounds like a great opportunity!
 
Greetings,

I will add my thoughts about 550 and 560. I am in a unique category of having owned used 2-550's and new 560 now.

As a single gal, I loved the profile of the 560 over the 550, but I could not justify the extra price point, and really enjoyed the 550. Plenty of room for me, the front storage cabinets are readily accessible and used like bedside tables.

Then along came Bob. He was a good sport, went camping with me, but not happy with having his feet hit the bottom of the cabinets. ( I have a 2 inch mattress overlay on top of the mattress).

So, I ordered a 560. Wow, what an amazing difference in space and a happy Bob.

The head room is greater in the 560 due to the flat roof vs sloping roof line. The extra head space makes a difference when trying to do the clothing change boggy.

Also, we leave the sofa flat, which makes the bed longer. The pillows are on the flat couch, which moves the feet away from the bottom edge of the interior cabinets. Bob is a very happy camper now, his feet do not meet the cabinets anymore.

The extra flat couch surface does act as a gathering space, and the front cabinets are used like a bedside table.

I tow with a Subaru outback. Both models are easy to tow. Feels like "nothing is back there" traveling down the highway.

Jean
 
Hi Emily, Hi Dave!

First off I gotta say it was nice meeting you both at the factory last Friday. It was pretty fun crawling around the trailers and discussing pros, cons (wait--no cons), preferences and usage scenarios etc...

I've given this some thought and while the 550 satisfies a particular aesthetic itch for you both (I totally get that) the only time you'll actually see it is when you aren't in it and extra space is less of an issue than not enough space.

So, the questions becomes, "do we get greater pleasure from a) looking at it or b) using it the way we want to?"

Or.....To put it another way, if you want the dog to sleep with you inside I vote for the 560, and if you don't mind the dog sleeping outside in a side tent my vote goes to the 550.

Cheers
Jonathan
 
We opted for the 560. Both trailers are stunningly beautiful. Sometimes, I wish I had a 550 because I could probably tow it with my Honda S2000. However, we really love the look and extra space of the 560. We too have a dog around 40lbs and she sleeps on the couch in the 560. On cold nights it has been good knowing she is nice and warm with us in the trailer.

We also just got our first grand daughter in Jan. and we expect she will be sleeping in the trailer with us from time to time. Having the extra space for little ones and beloved pets was important to us.
 
Hey Jonathan!
It was great meeting you also. We had no idea we were taking the tour with someone else. It was really cool to share that experience with someone else that shared our curiosity and admiration about these trailers. I could tell we had the same visual taste when it comes to these teardrops. We can't wait to see your photos of the trailer you end up ordering.

Dave and Emily
 
Yeah, I decided to visit friends in Chicago and just decided to go to Necedah to get my questions answered! Cary told me he was waiting on some folks when I got there so it just worked out.

I've more or less decided on the 560 but if a 550 showed up closely and had the right price I might just jump at the opportunity! I can always change trailers down the road. :)

For me it's just getting out there and having some adventure while I can. Unfortunately I still have to wait until I get the all clear from my oncologist but I can still plan!

Jonathan
 
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